NASA astronaut Suni Williams retires from agency

NASA astronaut Suni Williams retired from the agency effective December 27, 2025 after 27 years of service, NASA announced Tuesday.

Williams, a Needham native, completed three missions aboard the International Space Station, and set numerous human spaceflight records throughout her career.

She spent 608 days in space, and is second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut. She ranks sixth on the list of longest single spaceflight by an American, tied with NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who both logged 286 days during NASA’s Boeing Starliner and SpaceX Crew-9 missions from June 2024 to March 2025. Williams also completed nine spacewalks, and holds the record for the most spacewalk time by a woman. She also was the first person to run a marathon in space.

Beyond her experiences in space, Williams held several roles throughout her career. She served as a NASA Extreme Environments Mission Operations (NEEMO) crew member in 2002, when she spent nine days living and working in an underwater habitat.

After her first space flight, she served as Deputy Chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. She was also the Director of Operations in Star City, Russia, after her second mission to the space station. Williams also helped establish a helicopter training platform to prepare astronauts for future moon landings.

Williams has a Bachelor’s degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy and a Master’s degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology. She is a retired U.S. Navy Captain, an accomplished helicopter pilot, and has logged more than 4,000 hours in 40 different aircraft.

In a statment, Williams thanked everyone who has helped her throughout her career, writing, “Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be. It’s been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times. I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I’ve received from my colleagues. The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can’t wait to watch the agency make history.”